2021 Ceritas, Zephyr Vineyard Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast, California, USA
Critics reviews
The 2021 Chardonnay Zephyr is a deep, potent wine with a rich mid-palate and tons of sheer richness. Dried citrus, herbs, crushed rocks and anise lend nuance to this distinctly broad-shouldered, phenolic Chardonnay. The Zephyr is first and foremost a wine of texture, as fruit is pushed to the background, typical of the West Sonoma Coast. Then again, the Zephyr is sourced from the Red Car estate in Freestone.
Drink 2024 - 2031
Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (August 2023)
The 2021 Chardonnay Zephyr pours a vibrant straw with green highlights and opens in the glass to notes of lime blossom, chive, and hints of tropical fruit and sea spray. It retains ripeness throughout, with fresh lime, green apple, white flowers, and fresh herbs, as well as saline and sea spray. Drink this over the next decade.
Audrey Frick, JebDunnuck.com (July 2023)
About this WINE
Ceritas
Ceritas is a family-owned winery in California that produces small quantities of handcrafted wines. The winery is known for its focus on terroir-driven Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, sourced from vineyards in Sonoma, Mendocino, and Santa Cruz counties. The owners, John and Phoebe Raytek, have a deep passion for wine, and their goal is to produce wines that express the unique qualities of the vineyards where they are grown.
The wines are made with minimal intervention, allowing the grapes to fully express their natural character and reflect the vineyard's terroir. The winery uses organic and biodynamic farming practices, and the grapes are hand-harvested and sorted to ensure that only the highest quality fruit is used in winemaking.
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is often seen as the king of white wine grapes and one of the most widely planted in the world It is suited to a wide variety of soils, though it excels in soils with a high limestone content as found in Champagne, Chablis, and the Côte D`Or.
Burgundy is Chardonnay's spiritual home and the best White Burgundies are dry, rich, honeyed wines with marvellous poise, elegance and balance. They are unquestionably the finest dry white wines in the world. Chardonnay plays a crucial role in the Champagne blend, providing structure and finesse, and is the sole grape in Blanc de Blancs.
It is quantitatively important in California and Australia, is widely planted in Chile and South Africa, and is the second most widely planted grape in New Zealand. In warm climates Chardonnay has a tendency to develop very high sugar levels during the final stages of ripening and this can occur at the expense of acidity. Late picking is a common problem and can result in blowsy and flabby wines that lack structure and definition.
Recently in the New World, we have seen a move towards more elegant, better- balanced and less oak-driven Chardonnays, and this is to be welcomed.
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Description
The 2021 Chardonnay Zephyr is a deep, potent wine with a rich mid-palate and tons of sheer richness. Dried citrus, herbs, crushed rocks and anise lend nuance to this distinctly broad-shouldered, phenolic Chardonnay. The Zephyr is first and foremost a wine of texture, as fruit is pushed to the background, typical of the West Sonoma Coast. Then again, the Zephyr is sourced from the Red Car estate in Freestone.
Drink 2024 - 2031
Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (August 2023)
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